Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-16
PEDAL ETIQUETTE.
CORRECT DISPOSITION OF THE FEET
At THE DINNER TABLE.

At THE DINNER TABLE.
Observations on the reculiaritics Of Feet
and Their Owners-Phases Of Pctialogy
in the Hotel Dining Eoom-A woman's
Foot Asleep.
OF course the books on etiquette tell us not
TO put our feet on the table or in other
peoples laps. but they dismiss the subject
without further attention and 20 on making
rules about the HANDS. letting people COM
init gross errors with their feet all their
lives without knowing it, There is some
thing pathetic in the thought that a man
who has been studying etiquette for years
and has got to such point that he can eat a
meal without committing a single breach of
propricty may be displaying n gross disre-
gard VI the foot rules. so to speak. There is
no deaf and d1mb alphabet of the feet, but
they often speak volumes.
The most appropriate place TO study the
subject is at some large, popular hotel, where
Yen can sce displayed all the examples of
pedal eccentricity at once, and thus acquire
in few short happy hours what it would
take years to learn BY inviting people to eat
at Your own house.
FEET FROM ALL QUARTERS
Here you find feet from all quarters of the
globe belonging TO both sexes, of all sizes
and shapes, innocently displaying all thei'
natural ragaries, unconscious Of the scI-utir,
Of the student. You viii find similar f,-,t
which have haunted you from boyhtsI,
which stretch across under the table clear ts
thc other side. They are always worn on
the lower end of n long pair of legs and they
sweep the hoor il q wide radius, reaching up
to the knees Of the people Oh the opposite side
and leave large. wide deposit of mud on their
new white trousers. They rub against a Ict
corn with a fond, yearning touch that makes
1t palpitate with emotion These feet are
hard and calloui, with knobs and knots OH
them, and ere clc2Sci in thick cowhide boots
lou can walk on them or kick them with
vehement protest without any pcrceptible
effect upon their wearer His feet are 50 far
away from his head that the painful message
Is never transmitted to the cerebral depart
ment, dying out on the long journey.
This kind of foot never has any corns. chit.
plains, mgrowing nails or other improve
ments, 50 that they never suffer from cor
tao: with the cold, cruel world You can
study the coarse, unyielding character of
their owner from the feet end better than
yon can from L. face. The '.palmistry" of
,he feet has not BEEN written yet, but it will
be some day
II is the feet which betray mans lack Of
culture A man who is accustomed to stow
ing his weight away where it will ba unob-
served and does not impede navigation. viii
not commit such a breach of good manners; as
to place his feet in such Conspicuous positions
that advertising agents want to rent space on
them by the month. There are other varie-
ties to I've seen, some only variations Of the
same peculiarities. There are men, YOU will
notice, who crowd their feet under their
chairs, fastSa stGp Soyether Solidly and Use
them as fulcrums in tackliny tough Prob
lens il carving hotel steaks Thcse feet be
speak certain sturdy, .dsternincsl character
IN their owners, but not the mcanness and
Sinallness of soul possessed by The before
mentioned feet. The owner of theeSc feet
don't ait up nights listening to his mortgages
draw interest or throw banana peals on the
although he may - q man who will
get hold Of a dollar and fasten TO il with a
grip that dynamite won't loosen. The OBJ
'ervancc Of the cid popular Customs of pat
ing the elbows on the table. tucking q nap
Kin under tho chin and eating pie with a
Knife always goes with thesc styles of feet.
HABITS OF SOME PEOPLE.
Very frequently You will perceive that
'omc men have a habit of keeping one foot
laced on top oi the other rs though i, had
. be held down. This is a foolish habit. as
s.'o!is good shine and has no particular
'eauiy Of pose to recommend it, Other
'cople swing their feet or oscilla.e them side
Ways while resting on the heciS Then other;
NJ. them away up on the chair rung, which
rings Their knees up under the table There
re men who could not eat the most tempting
10 diarer because the chcir had 10 runs 10
lace their feet on. The disappointed looL
1hiCh comes over the face of one of thes.,
ncn 'Eica he clScorcrS his loss is pitifu. to
7itnSSS
Tlerc is a mnl with long LEGS 50 slim that |
zane It's end fills his Christmas stocking |
40 eadcavors with frantic efforts to get nis |
.ct " on the rTng until the table Just rise |
p and rrances. Women are rarely notice |
bic for any Of these little failIngs, bu,
'iioiInes thcy are found violating the rules.
woman sips of tight shoe /
nder the table, ard somebody accidcltly
ioros it out 80 that the waiter can knock ii
bout forty feet down the aisle greatly to the
eight of the ownCr. But this doc; not han
en very often in the more fashionable hotel
Or is there found very frequently the woman
ho sits on her foot. This is one of the home
att which she fails to carry outside. Once
| awhile, however, even at the hotel table,
woman will sc: her foot absent rlintleily
Ito the seat of her chair and sit OF it until
goes to sleep. When she endeavors to rise
le falls over on the table into the central
ah and causes considerable emotion among
. Iucsts. She can pass it or, however, cs
faiiitins spcll-a Resource which few men
ISSoSs-and she thereby escapes the ridicule
the unfceling.-Ncw York World.